This is the UK400 Club Rare Bird Alert highlighting all records of avian interest and published in association with Rare Bird Alert Pagers and utilising additional information gleaned from the Regional Birdlines, BirdGuides, local email groups and individual observers

Follow by Email

Thursday, 24 April 2014

''Keith would like to thank you for your email on the killing of
migrating birds in Malta, which he has asked me to respond to on his
behalf

Keith and a
number of other MEPs have just sent a letter of concern to the European
Commission demanding urgent action be taken to stop the spring hunting season
which sees the death of thousands of migrating birds every year. Keith is among
those calling on the Commission to take legal action against Malta for their
failure to protect the wild birds passing through the country. Keith has said,

"The time
for talking is now over. With thousands of migratory birds being shot out of the
sky, and Maltese officials clearly failing to take the EU seriously, it's time
for the Commission to step in and stop this dreadful
cruelty."

Keith has
received many emails from constituents who are concerned about this issue. He
has been working to address these concerns with the bird conservation
organisation, Birdlife Malta. Birdlife Malta organised a meeting on 3rd April
with Commissioner Potočnik, the European Commissioner for the Environment, to
discuss the issue. Unfortunately, although Keith had intended to attend the
meeting, he was unable to make it on the day due to potential clashes with
voting in plenary. He has however been liaising with Steve Micklewright, the
Executive Director of Birdlife Malta, about an update on the outcome of the
meeting and is offering his support in any other actions that could help to stop
the bird massacre.

Keith is
increasingly worried by the hunting and killing of wild birds across Europe.
This is particularly prevalent in Malta but also happens in other Mediterranean
countries like Italy, France and Cyprus. He agrees that non-compliance with the
EU Birds Directive is unacceptable and has continually called on the European
Commission to enforce the Birds Directive wherever there is evidence that it is
being breached.

Keith has
previously highlighted the killing of wild birds directly to the Commission,
with regards to the hunting of the Italian sparrow, the Eurasian tree sparrow,
the great cormorant, the chaffinch, the brambling, the common starling and the
Eurasian collared dove. Keith has urged the Commission to hold Italy to account
for its breach of the EU Birds Directive. Keith's predecessor, Caroline Lucas,
called on them to hold Malta to account for the same practice. Keith also wrote
to Commissioner Potočnik calling for swift action to put an end to the killing
of migrating birds in Cyprus and ensure that the provisions of the EU Birds
Directive are effectively implemented.

As you can
see, this issue is a pan-European problem which Keith and the Greens/EFA group
in the European Parliament have been working hard to address.

Keith is
extremely concerned about animal welfare issues and wildlife conservation, and
is committed to doing what he can at EU level to protect birds. He
is a member of the European Parliament Intergroup on the Welfare and
Conservation of Animals. He also produces a newsletter called Making Tracks,
which outlines the work that he and his colleague Jean Lambert MEP have been
doing on animal protection issues. Please see here for the latest
edition: http://www.keithtaylormep.org.uk/2013/09/25/making-tracks-autumn-2013/ If you would be interested in receiving bi-annual copies of this
publication either by post or e-mail, please let me know.

Sunday, 20 April 2014

I still have one place available on my SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS tour of 2-7 May 2014 and 5 places on my ROUND BRITAIN TOUR of 17-26 May 2014 - please contact me, either on 07881 906629 or LGREUK400@aol.com if you are interested.

Likewise, some space available on tours to Spain, Morocco, Turkey, Scandinavia, Egypt, Madeira, Israel, Thailand, The Gambia, Goa and Shetland between May and December

Wednesday, 9 April 2014

For several days now, this breeding-plumaged RED-NECKED GREBE has graced FARMOOR RESERVOIR, just to the west of Oxford. It is catching lots of small fish and often takes time out from diving to feast on the abundance of insects at the water's surface. Enjoy.....

Compare the above with this recent bird at Pitsford Reservoir in Northamptonshire

About Me

I have been birding since 1969 but became obsessed with 'twitching' in 1974 and haven't looked back since. Have driven over 1.3 million miles in pursuit of rare birds in the UK, where to date I have recorded 588 species in Britain and Ireland. I also have a fascination for the Birds of the Western Palearctic, where I have currently recorded 880 of the 1,064 species ever recorded. I am widely travelled in North America, as well as in Africa and Asia, and have written at least 29 books on my chosen subject, including best-sellers ''Ultimate Site Guide to Scarcer British Birds' and 'Rare Birds in Britain 1800-1990'. Established the UK400 Club in 1981 to cater for the most obsessive of the British birding fraternity and now concentrate on online publishing, via the www.uk400clubonline.co.uk website. Record Birding achievements include recording 386 species in Britain & Ireland in 1996 and 627+ in the Western Palearctic in 2008